3/13/11

Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be a boring experience. Yes, it takes some work to learn the vocabulary and rules of grammar of a language, but there are also more enjoyable ways to learn Spanish that can help you to get more from the hours you spend studying.

One of the best ways to have fun and refine your skills is to enjoy the art of Spain, Mexico and other Spanish speaking countries. This helps you to pick up on the nuances of the language and provides greater insight into the culture. When you begin to learn how Spanish speakers think, you will find it easier understand the language and get greater enjoyment from learning it.

There is a lot of fine literature in the Spanish language. You can find this at the library or online. In the beginning, you might enjoy reading simpler children’s books and then gradually progress to more advanced books and even read some of the classics of the Spanish language.

Spanish language movies are another great way to become aquainted with the language and the culture. If they movie has subtitles, this can be a great help and even a source of amusement. As you progress in your abilities, you will likely find that the subtitles don’t always match the Spanish words very well. They are usually just approximations and can occasionally be very different. This could be because of translator error or because of a joke or play on words that just doesn’t translate well. This reinforces the importance of learning about the culture in addition to just the rules of thee language.

Spanish TV is also very valuable for helping you learn the language. There are many entertaining varieties of shows available. This can be somewhat overwhelming, especially if there aren’t subtitles and they speak very fast, but it does help you to pick up the patterns and rhythms of the language.

Spanish music is also very helpful, especially if you enjoy singing or play an instrument. I suggest picking a song with easy to understand words and become acquainted with the meaning by using a dictionary or friend who speaks Spanish. Then learn to actually sing the song. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a good singing voice. You can do this and private. Once you learn the song you can sing it whenever you want or even just play it in your head. It’s amazing how the vocabulary and sentence structure will stick with you when you learn it in a song.

Be sure to have some fun when learning Spanish by immersing yourself in the arts and culture of Spanish speaking countries. It’s not just enjoyable, it will also help you to refine you language skills.

2/11/11

Italian has existed for centuries, and is used by many millions of people around the world. It is spoken in Italy and other nearby areas such as parts of San Marino, Switzerland, Slovenia and Croatia.

Italian comes from Latin and represents an unique and vibrant culture of people. Italian heritage is very common in many American cities, especially in the eastern United States.

Italian culture has been very influential throughout the world and has been responsible for great men such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Italian culture played an especially crucial role during the Renaissance with its magnificent artistic and architectural achievements.

Many Italian words come from Greek and Etruscan. Almost all the nouns in Italian are either masculine or feminine which results in an inflected language where changing the endings of words can change their meanings. Learning these rules and patterns of the Italian language can greatly help the student to become fluent.